THUMBPRINTS
During my time in the SEAL Teams, I was lucky enough to learn some pretty cool skills. One of my favorites was learning to do B & E’s. Not bacon and eggs like the comedian, Dane Cook would say, but to break and enter. I learned to pick locks, bypass fingerprint scanners, and exploit computers.
It was like living in an action movie where anything could happen. One time during an op, I came across a lockbox disguised as a book. I carefully moved it to an area I could pick it open, and lucky I was cautious because inside it was a cup of acid designed to spill and destroy everything in it if it was lifted wrong. I was like, what Austin Powers movie was this clown watching?
These operations were called SURREPTITIOUS ENTRIES, meaning, unlike covert entries where people are AWARE you were there, surreptitious entries leave ALMOST NO TRACE…If you do them right! The only thing that sucked about them was how TIME-CONSUMING it was. Before you move anything, you had to take a picture of it to put it back exactly the same.
The reality of these operations is that regardless of how skilled you are or how careful you were, it’s impossible not to leave any form of a trace that you were there. When you enter an area, you always LEAVE YOUR MARK, whether you want to or not.
So, what kind of mark are you leaving behind? What kind do you want to leave? Like it or not, you’re INFLUENCING people, and not only the ones around you. We’re far too connected these days only to impact those in our intimate bubbles.
One of the best networking questions I have ever heard is, “Who do you know that I should know?” Will your name come up? Do people VALUE you enough that they want to share you with others? How sure are you? Here’s some reality – Too many of us have gotten comfortable with spewing our thoughts to the world, but we live a different life. When our actions don’t match our words, people DON’T LISTEN. People never really remember what you say; they remember how you made them FEEL. You want to impact people and leave your mark, do it Through Your Actions.
CALL TO ACTION: Here are some thoughts on leaving your mark.
BE HUMBLE – It’s the absence of arrogance. Give others your undivided attention and be respectful. This means shut up and LISTEN. If you’re too busy running your mouth, you’re not present and available to others, or available to learn something new.
BE HUNGRY – You kill, You Eat. Always looking for more and improving. Mediocrity is for cowards! If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing!
BE CENTERED – Being Emotionally Aware and present. Let others learn from you through your actions. This means HAVE A STANDARD! What standard do you have that holds you accountable?
We’re living in an emotionally charged world not short in opinions. Is your THUMBPRINT adding to the chaos or serving others? Follow our thoughts above, talk with people, not at them, and trust your actions to do the heavy lifting. Remember, THE WORLD NEEDS HITTERS!
